Headrests are commonly used on passenger seats, for example aircraft passenger seats, to provide support for the head of the seat occupant. To be effective, the headrest should be positioned at a correct distance above the backrest of the seat. The distance above the backrest will defer from person to person depending on the anthropometry and comfort preference of an individual.
A conventional headrest for aircraft seating is a 2-way headrest where the seat occupant can adjust the headrest to be positioned to the correct distance above the backrest based on individual comfort and preference by upward and downward movement. To try and address issues encountered by the conventional 2-way headrest, a 4 and a 6-way headrest have been developed.
The 4-way headrest, in addition to allowing upward and downward adjustment, allows its sides to be folded to provide sideway head support for the seat occupant.
In addition to the function described above for the 4-way headrest, the 6-way headrest provides forward and backward tilting of the headrest. As such a 6-way headrest offers the seat occupant a wide range of headrest adjustment based on individual preference.
In existing headrest designs, the headrest cushion is typically shaped with a substantially flat support surface, i.e. the surface facing away from the headrest frame and towards the head of the seat occupant, to provide support for the head of the seat occupant. It has been found that strain and stiff neck continue to be experienced by many passengers, especially for long haul flight where seat occupant typically tilt their head sideways while sleeping. As such, comfort of passenger seating is compromised.
Embodiments of the present invention provide a headrest, a cushion for a head rest and a passenger seat that seek to address at least one of the above problems.